Tensions
by ReallyUhSharp
Summary: A few mishaps cause Galinda and Elphaba to wonder whether they loathe each other quite as much as they pretend to. A shaky friendship begins, but with both in denial about it being anything more than that; things are bound to be difficult. Discontinued.
1. Laundry

**Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked or any of the characters I've used. Wish I did, but unfortunately I'm not one of the people with that happy privilage!**

* * *

Galinda gazed dimly at the page in front of her for a moment longer, before abandoning all attempts at concentration. This wasn't her thing at all; sitting cooped up at a desk with nothing but books and a pen for company. But she knew she only had herself to thank for the fact that she was currently in this undesirable position. If she hadn't gotten so behind with her studies in the first place, it would never have been this urgent that she caught up.

The blonde's gaze wandered idly around the room as she absent-mindedly chewed on the end of her pen. However much she tried to focus on the weapons that had been used in the Ozian Civil War, (and she _was _trying, she told herself) Galinda simply couldn't force her blissful mind to focus. Letting out a sigh, she allowed her head to flop lazily over the back of the chair she was seated on so that her blonde curls spilled down its back. It was simply not _right _that she had so much work to do when she'd far rather be out enjoying herself.

Hearing the door open, Galinda quickly opened her eyes and returned her head to its usual position, jolting her neck as she did so. "Ouch," she whimpered, rubbing her hurt neck as she turned in time to see Elphaba throwing a huge pile of clothes onto her bed.

"These are yours, I do believe," the green girl said crossly, placing her hands on her hips and surveying her room mate coldly, "And I'll thank you to put your dirty clothes in your _own _laundry pile next time."

Rolling her eyes, Galinda tossed her pen onto her page of 'notes,' which was somehow still blank, aside from the title which had become heavily decorated with doodles of hearts and flowers. Well, who could blame her for trying? Girls like her simply weren't made to attempt arduous tasks like laundry. And she had thought that maybe Elphaba wouldn't notice a few extra clothes. Galinda had even been sneaky enough to mix them in with Elphaba's so that only black was visible from the outside. But it appeared that the green girl's beady eyes had still noticed the pink that Galinda had tried so cleverly to hide.

Rolling her eyes, the blonde abandoned her notes and moved to retrieve the clothes so she could find somebody else to wash them for her. She was glad of the distraction from her studies, but being greeted by a pile of unwashed clothes wasn't exactly the interruption she would have chosen. Collecting her belongings from her bed, Galinda headed for the door reluctantly, but halfway there, she stopped, realising that something wasn't quite right.

"But, Miss Elphaba…" she began, her brow wrinkling slightly in confusion as she stared down at the pile she was clutching, "These clothes look _clean. _And _ironed _too," she added, removing a blouse from the top of the pile and looking at it more closely. Galinda paused for a moment, before glancing towards her room mate for an explanation.

Elphaba met the blonde's gaze defiantly for a moment before dropping her eyes as her cheeks reddened slightly. "Okay okay, so I washed them for you anyway," she muttered, sounding almost frustrated with herself as she moved to her own desk and began shuffling through a pile of papers, in what Galinda saw as a blatant attempt to avoid eye contact.

The blonde watched her room mate apprehensively for a moment, slightly unsure as to why the green girl had suddenly decided to do something nice for her. Even a deed as small as doing her laundry was something of a revelation when Galinda thought about the rocky start she and Elphaba had made.

Galinda watched Elphaba for a moment longer, her head tipped curiously to one side as a wave of something strange crept over her. Elphaba's eyes remained focused towards her desk, seeming to be so absorbed in whatever in Oz that she was doing, that she was oblivious to her room mate's stares.

"Would you stop _doing _that?" Elphaba demanded suddenly, slamming her green hands onto her desk in frustration and making the blonde jump. So apparently she hadn't been quite as oblivious to Galinda's stares as the blonde had thought.

"Sorry!" Galinda replied hastily, scooting around her bed in order to get to her wardrobe and put her clothes away. Now it was _her_ turn to hide her flushed face. "I was just… surprised, is all. That's the first nice thing you've done for me since we started rooming together."

She chanced a glance behind her as Elphaba- who had merely snorted in response to Galinda's comment- grabbed a book from the desk and moved towards the bed. Galinda felt a sudden push to say something to her. Once Elphaba immersed herself in that book, Galinda knew she'd remain in the same position for the remainder of the night and grow irritable if she was interrupted. It was now or never.

Abandoning her attempts to cram the freshly ironed clothes into her already full-to-the-brim wardrobe, Galinda placed the rest of the dresses and blouses on her bed- carefully so they didn't become creased- and glanced over at her room mate, who was now arranging the pillows on her bed in preparation for a night of reading.

"Miss Elphaba?" the blonde began, taking a careful step backwards so that she was closer to the door- she would need a quick and easy escape route after saying what she was going to.

Elphaba half-looked up, giving another grunt to show she was listening. Galinda took a deep breath.

"Th-Thank you," she said quickly, before turning and hurrying out of the door and closing it behind her so that she could lean on it heavily. Sweet Oz, it really shouldn't have been that difficult to thank someone, Galinda thought as she attempted to control her shallow breathing. But thanking Elphaba had been an enormous pull on her part- Galinda had gotten it into her head that she was supposed to loathe the antisocial green lizard she was being forced to room with. Being polite to her was never supposed to have been an option.

Shaking her head slowly, Galinda pushed herself away from the door, before tossing her hair back from her shoulders and heading in the direction of ShenShen and Pfannee's room. After that encounter, Lurline only knew she needed to talk to some people who didn't do sweet things when she least expected them, and who had a normal skin colour.

* * *

Back in the room, Elphaba watched the door through which Galinda had exited, in amusement. So the perky blonde was a pest to room with- and that was at her best- but she was also a great source of entertainment. Smiling despite herself, Elphaba curled her legs underneath herself and rested her book on her lap. Yes, whatever else Galinda might be, she certainly wasn't boring.

* * *

* * *


	2. Building

Later that night, Galinda tiptoed back into the room. She'd stayed out longer than she'd really intended, for reasons unknown even to herself. It wasn't even as though she'd even had a particularly pleasant time; ShenShen and Pfannee had latched onto a comment she had made about Elphaba being decidedly strange, and had taken it upon themselves to spend the rest of the evening analyzing, in detail, everything that they found to be odd about Galinda's room mate. It had been fun at first, but the list had worn on and on, and Galinda had had to fight to keep her eyes open by the end of it.

Unsurprisingly, as it was past midnight, Elphaba was already asleep when Galinda got home. The problem was that this also meant the lights were off, and the blonde was having rather a hard time navigating her way towards the bathroom in order to change into her nightdress for bed.

"Ouch," she whispered, as she tripped over something hard and banged her elbow painfully on the sharp corner of her dresser. Bending down, she fumbled on the floor to see what it was she had tripped over, and found, to her annoyance, that it was one of Elphaba's books. It had to be Elphaba's; her own were stacked away on a shelf someplace forgotten.

"My proof that books are anything but useful," she mumbled, picking it up by its corner as though it was a dirty sock, and attempting to drop it gracefully onto the dresser out of harm's way. But the inevitable complication of darkness caused her to miss the dresser by a few feet, and the book fell against one of her own hat-boxes, predictably causing the whole pile to come crashing down around her. Squealing, Galinda jumped back to avoid the avalanche and her back hit against the bathroom door which promptly opened; causing her to fall inside with a thud.

The light clicked on, and Galinda sat up slowly, shielding her eyes against the light which had suddenly filled the room. Once her eyes managed to adjust to the new brightness, she caught sight of Elphaba sitting up in bed, wearing a grey nightdress and a heavy frown.

"_What_ in Oz's name are you doing?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous as her eyes travelled across the havoc Galinda had wreaked, "And what did you do to our _room_?"

"I was trying to find the bathroom," Galinda huffed defensively, climbing to her feet and surveying her position. "I guess I found it," she added with a giggle, finally registering where she had landed.

Elphaba, however, was not amused. "And you didn't think to turn the light on?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she watched Galinda begin to ferret around, trying to match her hats with their appropriate boxes.

"I didn't want to wake you," Galinda admitted feebly, suddenly aware of how silly that sounded now.

Elphaba snorted. "Well, you certainly did a very good job of not waking me."

Galinda bit back an angry retort as she slotted a yellow hat back into its box, remembering that Elphaba had done her laundry for her earlier. "Well, I do apologise," she said finally, concentrating hard on her task to prevent any sarcasm from creeping into her tone, "I'll do my best to be quieter next time."

"Well, quieter shouldn't be too difficult for you. You couldn't have been any louder."

Galinda looked up, opening her mouth to protest angrily that at least she had been _trying _to be considerate, when she noticed Elphaba swinging her legs out of bed, suppressing a yawn as she did so.

"What are you doing, Miss Elphaba?" she asked in surprise, a little caught off guard.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Elphaba replied irritably, standing up with a stretch and walking over, "I'm coming to help you clear up the hideously over-decorated accessories you've spilled everywhere."

She knelt down beside Galinda and began lining up the boxes, placing their lids next to them. Galinda watched her in confusion.

"Since I have no idea which hat goes where, I'll line up the boxes, and you find the hat which goes in each one," Elphaba said, answering Galinda's unasked question. Cottoning on, the blonde nodded, beginning to pick up each hat and placing it in the box pre-ordered by her room mate. There they worked in a half-companionable, half-uneasy silence, until Galinda finally got up the nerve to speak.

"Elphaba?" she asked, timidly using Elphaba's name without the honorific. The green girl turned to look at her for a moment, surprised; before recovering and returning to her chore.

"Yes… Galinda?" she replied, which Galinda considered a much friendlier acknowledgement than her usual grunts.

"Elphaba, I can't help noticing…" she paused, biting her lip as she contemplated how best to phrase her thoughts. "You've been awfully nice to me lately," she said finally in a rush, "Well, nicer than usual, I mean."

She looked over at Elphaba to see her reaction to her observation. The other girl was now stacking the boxes which they had filled, unperturbed as ever. "And?" she asked, with a shrug.

Galinda frowned, not having prepared herself for that reaction. She grabbed a box and piled it with the others in the same way as Elphaba was doing, in order to buy herself more time.

"Well, we haven't exactly had the best start with regards to sharing a room, have we?" she asked finally, kneeling back down and fidgeting a little awkwardly with the hem of her dress, "I mean, we made it clear from day one that we disliked one another…" her voice trailed off, and she looked expectantly up at Elphaba. The other girl was staring at the pile they had so far created, frowning thoughtfully as though considering this. Galinda waited as patiently as she could, until Elphaba finally met her eyes.

"Galinda, I didn't really _dislike _you," she said finally, the frown still prominent on her face, "But look at us. We're so different; you with your designer clothes and buzzing social life. And me, well…" She shrugged, before adding simply, "I'm not like that."

Galinda, who hadn't expected something so in-depth, looked curiously across at her room mate. Elphaba was right of course; they had simply clashed due to their differences. Well, there was also the underlying fact that Elphaba had gotten into the sorcery seminar rather than her; which Galinda couldn't _help_ still being bitter about. But she was willing to overlook that detail for the purpose of their discussion.

"No, you're not like that," she agreed, hugging her knees to her chest, "But that's what makes you different, Elphaba."

Elphaba smiled weakly. "I think I'm different enough as it is, Galinda," she replied, with an awkward glance downwards which illustrated her exposed green hands.

Galinda shook her head. "I don't mean different in that way. Oh, I don't know _what _I mean," she said in confusion, swinging her blonde curls.

Elphaba laughed, not cruelly. Galinda couldn't help noticing that it was the first time she had heard Elphaba laugh like that, and the effect was rather nice. Almost contagious, in fact. Galinda giggled too, for no other reason than the nicety of laughing. Elphaba shot her a brief smile which she returned, feeling something which could only be described as a flutter as she did so. Starting at the sudden feeling, Galinda stood up; and immediately noticed Elphaba scrambling to her feet too. Perhaps she had felt the same thing.

They stood awkwardly, avoiding each other's eyes until Galinda caught sight of the last remaining box which hadn't yet been stacked. She made a lunge for it; a second later than Elphaba did. Consequently, her left hand ended up placed over Elphaba's right one. Galinda dropped the box hurriedly, stepping backwards so that Elphaba was left holding the box alone.

"Sorry," she giggled nervously, horrified to find herself blushing. What in Oz had gotten into her?

"It's fine," Elphaba replied with a brief smile. She began to place the box on the top of the pile, before reconsidering and handing it to Galinda.

"Here, you do the last one," she said with a grin. Galinda grinned too, and took the box from her room mate's hands. She knew the whole thing was silly- it didn't matter who piled the last box. But still she placed it on herself- pride of place.

"Perfect," Elphaba smirked, before turning to go back to bed; their task accomplished. Galinda stayed where she stood for a moment, before realising that there was no longer any reason for her to hover around her hat boxes. Quickly turning away from Elphaba, she headed into the bathroom to finally get changed.  


* * *

As Elphaba slipped back into bed, she wondered vaguely about what had just happened. Had she really just spoken to Galinda in a civil, almost friendly way? And what in Oz was that she had felt, first when they had exchanged a smile, and then later as their hands had touched? Had that just been the flicker of warmth at a potential first friendship? Elphaba considered the thought, before pushing it out of her mind. What did it matter what it was, anyway? They'd probably both have forgotten this encounter by the morning.

Elphaba was just pulling her blanket over her thin, green body; when she heard a bright voice filtering through the bathroom door. "Goodnight, Elphie!" she heard Galinda call cheerily.

Elphaba froze. What was that Galinda had just called her? Elphie? _Elphie? _Elphaba shook her head slowly, trying to take in this new-found friendliness. _Elphie?_ It was perky- very much so, in fact- but she supposed she would have to put up with it if she and Galinda were going to continue being polite to one another.

"Goodnight, Galinda," she replied in a slightly exasperated voice, before reaching up and turning the light out, hoping sincerely as she did so that Galinda would have the sense to turn it on again when she was finished in the bathroom. Otherwise, she could probably count on being rudely awoken again in an hour or so to find the entire room dismantled.


	3. Something Different

Galinda's eyes fluttered open as she awoke from what had been a thoroughly pleasant dream. Annoyingly enough, she could barely remember anything about it, although she knew it had involved herself and somebody else becoming extremely close. In a physical sense of the word, too. Who this mystery person had been, she couldn't precisely remember, but still she snuggled back down under her fluffy pink blanket, hoping to lose herself in the dream once more.

"I wonder when you'll next wake up if you go back to sleep now," came the sound of a thoroughly distasteful voice, "Sometime this evening would be my bet."

Galinda giggled a little, her eyes snapping open as her room mate's derisive voice filled her ears. She pushed herself into a seated position, her arms reaching behind her to steady her body which wasn't yet fully awoken. Her blue eyes then searched the room before coming to rest on Elphaba, who she now saw was sitting on a stool in front of her dresser, her knees pulled up to her chest with a thick book rested precariously on her kneecaps. Her eyes had moved back to her reading, and Galinda wouldn't have known she had spoken except for the flicker of a smirk at the corners of her lips.

"Sweet Oz, what _time _is it?" the blonde mumbled, rubbing her eyes sleepily as she for the first time noticed the extent to which the sunlight was streaming through the window.

"One thirty," Elphaba replied, not even bothering to check as she idly turned a page in her book, "I thought maybe you'd died in your sleep, though I thought it impertinent to check."

Galinda opened her mouth to reply, before closing it again, not knowing quite how to react to this statement. She _thought _Elphaba was joking, but her tone was so deathly serious that it was difficult to be certain. And had she just said that it was _one thirty? _Galinda had slept for the _entire morning? _Her dream _must _have been pleasant; or perhaps she had simply been tired on account of piling boxes until the early hours of the morning.

The boxes! Galinda smiled slightly as she remembered her bonding activity with her room mate the previous night. Yes, despite Elphaba's sarcastic comments, the atmosphere somehow seemed lighter this morning than it had ever been between the two of them. Well, that _had _to be positive, Galinda thought brightly as she hopped out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, very bouncily for saying she had just woken up.

* * *

When she returned, Elphaba's position had barely changed. Yet now that Galinda felt properly awake, she could sense something different about her room mate. She tipped her head curiously to one side as she attempted to work out what it was.

"Elphie!" she exclaimed, finally realising what it was, and causing the other girl to jump horribly at the sound of her squeal.

Galinda giggled a little, covering her mouth cutely as she did so. "Sorry!" she said, allowing herself to come closer and circle her room mate with an expression of unhidden delight, "But you _never _wear your hair like that!"

Elphaba fidgeted with an end of her dark hair in embarrassment, finally looking up from her book. "I barely leave the room on Sundays, except to go to the library on occasion," she said, her bony shoulders lifting up and down in an awkward shrug, "I didn't feel like braiding it this morning, that's all. It's nothing special, Galinda."

She went back to reading, oblivious to Galinda's smug smile. After a while, Galinda realised her smirk was having no effect, and shook her head incredulously, her blonde curls bouncing to and fro as she did so.

"Well, _I _think it's something special," she giggled happily, before leaning around Elphaba to try and see into the mirror in order to analyze her own appearance. After all, it must have been a full ten minutes since she had last looked at her own reflection; when she had been applying her makeup, in fact.

But as Galinda looked at the place where the mirror _should_ have been, she found only the mirror's unreflective wooden back staring back at her. Frowning a little, she straightened up, before folding her arms and looking at Elphaba with accusing eyes.

The green girl shifted uncomfortably in her stool. "_What?_" she finally asked irritably, obviously realising that Galinda wasn't going to leave off until her 'look' received some sort of reaction.

"You _know _what!" Galinda exclaimed, laughing at her tone, "Elphie, you turned the mirror back-to-front! Why in Oz would you do that?"

Elphaba reddened slightly, but otherwise managed to keep her composure. "I don't care to watch myself while I'm reading," she said simply. She appeared still engrossed in her book, but if Galinda had been the type to pay careful attention to detail, she would have noticed that the other girl's dark eyes had been travelling back and forth over the same sentence for the entire duration of their conversation.

Galinda sighed slightly, before reaching forward and placing a hand either side of the mirror's wooden frame. But before she could turn it so that the reflective side was no longer facing the wall, Elphaba's curt voice interrupted her.

"Leave it."

Raising her eyebrows, Galinda turned back around to face her, her hands not leaving the mirror, "And if I don't?" she questioned lightly, her hands still poised for action.

Elphaba's posture didn't change as the question was asked. "Then I'll move from here and read someplace else."

Galinda sighed, abandoning the mirror and standing before Elphaba with her hands on her hips once more. "What do you have against looking at yourself?" she demanded, carefully watching Elphaba's complexion which had now faded neatly from red back to green.

Elphaba snorted, turning a page indifferently but giving no further answer.

Galinda frowned, not a fan of being ignored. "I do believe I asked you a question."

Elphaba's eyes still didn't leave the book, which hastened only to irritate Galinda further, "And _I do believe_ I chose not to dignify your question with an answer."

When Galinda didn't remove her accusing stare, she added, "I don't know why you're so curious about me all of a sudden, Galinda. Before last night you didn't care to say two words to me."

Galinda nodded a little miserably. That was true enough; and strangely she was beginning to regret not having spoken to Elphaba sooner.

But that couldn't be helped. They were talking now; although Galinda couldn't help noticing, to her annoyance, that Elphaba still appeared to much prefer books to her company. Galinda couldn't help giggling a little as she thought this. Was she really feeling almost neglected by the green girl in favour of a _book? _Her spontaneous giggles earning her an eye-roll from her room mate, Galinda left Elphaba to her reading and walked quietly behind her, hoping to give the impression that she'd left.

Elphaba seemed to relax slightly, and Galinda smiled to herself. She stood behind the other girl, for a second doing nothing more than admiring the way in which Elphaba's shining dark hair cascaded down her back, smooth as water. It had never occurred to Galinda that Elphaba could look pretty, yet the effect of her hair when it wasn't braided was almost stunning.

In an almost involuntary motion, Galinda ran the back of her hand gently down the length of Elphaba's hair, marvelling at the way it felt just as soft as it looked. She immediately felt Elphaba tense up at her touch, though the green girl did nothing to pull away. Galinda even sensed her room mate's attention detracted slightly from her book. Well, wasn't _that _a revelation?

Smiling at her discovery, she stroked Elphaba's hair once or twice more, before taking a plunge and submerging her hands fully, running her fingers through her room mate's silken locks like a French-manicured comb.

Galinda felt Elphaba give what almost seemed to be an involuntary shiver as her hands tangled themselves amongst her beautifully straight hair. Surprised, Galinda stopped what she was doing and glanced curiously down at her room mate. Elphaba appeared nonchalant, but Galinda couldn't help wondering if maybe that was pretence.

Experimentally, she once more slipped her hands in amongst Elphaba's thick black tresses, but as she began to draw them out using the same comb-like effect, Elphaba stood up suddenly, reclaiming her beautiful hair from Galinda's clutches.

"That's enough, Galinda," she said firmly, beginning to knot it back into its customary braid.

"Oh, but-" Galinda started to protest, the makings of a pout becoming evident on her face.

"But _nothing_," Elphaba scowled, gathering up her books, "Don't ever touch my hair like that again, Galinda. I'm going to the library."

* * *

Shifting her books under her arm, she exited the room, doing her best to look anywhere but at Galinda as she did so. Once glance at the pretty blonde's sulks, and she might even weaken enough to apologize for snapping at her. But why should she apologize? It was _her _hair, after all. Galinda had no right to touch it like that. One relatively in-depth conversation and they had lost all sense of personal boundaries?

But even as Elphaba thought that, she couldn't suppress the notion that she had actually _liked _her hair being played with like that. She couldn't remember anyone having paid her that sort of attention before, and couldn't deny that it had been nice. For a change, at least; Elphaba decided. It certainly wasn't something she wanted to get used to. But even as she told herself this; Elphaba knew that between her and her room mate, things would be different from now on.


	4. It's a Date

Elphaba chose to spend the remainder of the day in the library, which caused Galinda to adopt the sneaking suspicion that the green girl was avoiding her for some unknown reason. After all, she was hardly going to follow her to the _library, _was she? The very idea of that was simply ludicrous; Galinda didn't even know how one was supposed to _behave _in a library, having never ventured into one before.

So, for lack of a better plan, she stayed in the room and waited for the green girl's return. And waited. And waited. Soon, she'd meandered over to her wardrobe with the intention of planning her outfit for the following day. She ended up planning her outfits for the following two months, but _still _Elphaba hadn't returned.

Now impatient, anxious and bored- and _hungry_ since she had missed dinner by sleeping in so late- Galinda put on her outdoor clothing, deciding she would, after all, brave the library in search of her missing room mate. She was halfway there, when Galinda thought better of it. It was teatime now; Elphaba would most likely soon be heading down to the Buttery for something to eat. She'd go and wait there instead for a while and buy some food for herself at the same time.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Galinda was back at her room- well, _outside _it, to be more precise. She'd waited as patiently as she could in the Buttery, before deciding she'd have better luck returning to her room. At least _there _she wouldn't receive smug glances from other girls who were obviously under the erroneous impression that she had been _stood up, _of all things. Wasn't she at least entitled to sit alone once in a while? Elphaba did it all the time, after all.

When she reached the dorm however, Galinda found it to be locked, which confused her immensely. She distinctly remembered leaving it open when she had left, reasoning that she'd be back soon. (And she hadn't been able to find her key, but that was beside the point.)

She hammered on the door for a while, before drawing the conclusion that Elphaba was _not _inside; which obviously meant she'd slipped in when Galinda had been away, perhaps to pick something up, slipping out again before the blonde had returned, and locking the door behind her. Even at such times of stress as finding herself locked out of her room, Galinda couldn't help admiring Elphaba's cunning.

But there was no reason to _be _cunning, she thought in annoyance. Nor was there any reason for Elphaba to be avoiding her like this. And now she couldn't get inside her own room. Perturbed, Galinda turned her back on the door to lean against it, before folding her arms and sitting abruptly on the floor. Well she had nothing to do while she waited, so she may as well make herself comfortable.

* * *

In over an hour's time- and it felt like a lifetime to the blonde- Galinda _finally _heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She looked up from the almost-sleeping position she had fallen into to glare through the darkness at her room mate. Galinda didn't remember it having become dark, but apparently it had.

"Well, it's about _time," _she commented sulkily, when Elphaba was close enough to hear.

Elphaba started slightly at the sound of her voice, but for once Galinda couldn't bring herself to find this funny. It was _cold _out in the hallway, for Oz's sake. Miserably, she waited as Elphaba glanced around wildly before looking down and noticing her sitting forlornly outside the door.

"Galinda, you startled me. What in Oz's name are you doing down there?" she whispered, staring down at the blonde girl in confusion.

"_You_ locked me out," Galinda whispered accusingly back towards Elphaba's dark shape, pouting.

Elphaba rolled her eyes, unhooking her bag from her shoulder as she searched for her own key. "I really do despair about you sometimes, Galinda," came the return whisper moments later.

Galinda continued to pout as she climbed primly to her feet.

"Well, if you hadn't _left _me all day, and then returned when I least expected it-" she began to whisper back furiously, but then cut herself off frowning slightly, "Wait a clock tick; why are we whispering?"

Elphaba paused. Then, "I have no idea," she whispered back.

"Well, you started it!" Galinda replied, still sullen. She didn't expect Elphaba to join in with her silly argument; that wasn't the green girl's style. So when Elphaba replied, "No, you did," in a grave tone, Galinda assumed she was being serious.

"I certainly di-" she began to protest, before noticing the tiniest of smiles of Elphaba's face. Suddenly, just like that, all Galinda's anger seemed to disintegrate.

"No, you did!" she giggled, expectation in her tone, but it appeared Elphaba didn't care to continue the sport any longer.

"There," the green girl said, finally locating her key and opening up the dorm, "And mind you don't make a habit of this."

"_Me? _Oh, do be quiet, Elphie. You sound just like Madame Morrible," Galinda pouted, bouncing into the room and throwing herself onto her bed where she shoved her pillow over her head; feigning the blocking out of the other girl's voice. Elphaba wavered in amusement as she closed the door, before checking herself and moving away. Galinda hibernated under her pillow for a little longer, before deciding to resurface.

"What are you doing tomorrow, Elphie?" she asked innocently after a further pause, her blonde head poking out from under her pillow as she looked toward the other girl inquiringly. Elphaba looked back, raising an eyebrow again.

"What am I doing? Galinda, tomorrow's Monday. We have class," she reminded the blonde as she took off her glasses and laid them on her bedside table.

"I know _that_," Galinda insisted with a giggle, "I meant _after. _Have you got any plans?"

Elphaba shrugged. "I thought I might go to the library and-"

"The _library_?_ Again_?"

"Galinda, I have work to do."

"But Elphie," Galinda protested, her pout returning, "You've already spent all of today there; how much more work can you possibly _have_? I don't know why you don't simply take your bed things and set up camp there!"

"Look, I didn't _need _to spend all day there today," Elphaba argued, fishing her grey nightdress out from under her pillow, "But I felt that I _wanted _to. Is that really so hard for you to comprehend?"

"Oh, please! You were _hiding_ from me, weren't you? You only came back when you _knew_ I wouldn't be here!" Galinda insisted, a triumphant smile appearing on her face.

"Hiding from you? You never fail to flatter yourself, Galinda," Elphaba countered with an eye-roll, causing Galinda's face to fall dramatically. Noticing this, Elphaba paused- nightdress in hand- before tossing it carelessly onto her bed and moving to perch at the opposite end of Galinda's bed to where the blonde was lying.

"Look Galinda," she said, frowning slightly, "You've seen as well as I have how the other students treat me. The library's sort of my... well, _sanctuary_."

Galinda frowned, trying to fathom that thought. Wasn't a 'sanctuary' a place where one went to relax? She failed to see how the library fitted in with that description. Did Elphaba _have _to speak in metaphors? "So you don't really go there to study?" she asked, trying to simplify things.

"Oh, I go there to study alright," Elphaba answered with a hollow laugh, "I care about my grades and I like to learn. But while I'm studying, I don't have to focus on anything else. Sometimes… sometimes I suppose I go there to take my mind off other things."

That said, she stood up, quickly retrieving her nightdress from where she had tossed it, before moving back towards the bathroom to change. Galinda stayed where she was sitting, still trying to get her head around what Elphaba had just told her. She didn't move until the sound of Elphaba's voice filtered through her thoughts.

"Why do you ask, anyway?"

"Huh?" Galinda replied blankly, shaking her head to try and get her thoughts back on track.

"You asked what I was doing tomorrow. Why so interested?"

"_Oh_!" Galinda flushed slightly, suddenly nervous. Though there was no reason why she _should _be, of course. It wasn't as though she was about to ask Elphaba _out, _for Oz's sake- well, not in _that _context, at least. "Well, I was simply wondering if you'd like to do something tomorrow. With me, I mean. A change of scenery from books and…" What else was there to look at in libraries beside books? ".. Uhm, books…"

Elphaba turned to stare at her. Realising she wasn't going to receive a response anytime in the near future, Galinda heaved a sigh. "It was just a _thought,_" she said, dropping her head onto her pillow, unable to hide her disappointment, "If you'd sooner study again, that's-"

"A change of scenery sounds good."

"It- I beg your pardon?" Galinda said, raising her blonde head from the pillow in surprise.

Elphaba looked uncertain now. "I mean, if the offer's there… I suppose I_ have_ been spending a lot of time studying lately…"

Galinda was flabbergasted now. Not only had Elphaba agreed to spend an afternoon with her- outside of the comfort of their room, she felt she should add- but she'd also _admitted _to spending too much time in the library.

Galinda fought to conceal her smile as Elphaba fidgeted awkwardly with her hands. Really, the green girl was too adorable when she got fidgety. Galinda propped herself up on one elbow to admire the other girl's body language more closely… No, to _observe, _she corrected herself severely. Just out of interest. Of course there was no admiring involved.

"So where shall we go tomorrow? How about shopping?" Galinda suggested brightly. It had suddenly occurred to her that Elphaba hadn't snapped at her for staring, the way she usually did.

The word 'shopping,' however, brought Elphaba out of her apparent mind-coma. "Shopping?" she repeated, not even striving to hide the repulsion in her tone, "Galinda, I'm trying to be open-minded about this get-together you're planning, but there _is_ a line to be drawn and sadly shopping is-"

"Okay, point taken," Galinda giggled, too many alternative ideas racing through her mind for her to be put out that her first suggestion had been rejected. "Oh, but we could still go into the town!" she exclaimed finally, sitting up with excitement in her eyes, "Not to shop, but simply for the purpose of getting off campus for a little while. _That's _not over this 'line' of yours, is it?"

She watched Elphaba's eyes dart around for a moment, before the green girl seemed to give in, undoubtedly unable to produce a good excuse in time. "No; a walk in the town seems acceptable enough," she said, before grimacing at the way her statement caused Galinda to clap her hands in delight.

"Perfect! Then it's a date," Galinda beamed, before dropping her head over the side of her bed to search for her own nightdress amongst the pile of clothes she had accumulated next to her bed. She supposed she should have tidied up after her early-afternoon-wardrobe-raid, but Galinda was still getting used to the idea of having no maids here to tidy up after her.

* * *

Elphaba lapsed momentarily into her old ways by answering with a grunt, before slinking swiftly into the bathroom. Luckily Galinda had missed her briefly flushed cheeks by disappearing over the side of her bed, but Elphaba had still felt it a good idea to take her leave as soon as possible. After locking the door, she groaned- quietly enough that Galinda wouldn't hear- and placed a hand on either side of the sink, staring gloomily into the basin.

It wasn't that she was opposed to spending time with Galinda; far from it in fact. Now that she and the blonde girl weren't at each other's throats twenty-four hours a day, she had found herself beginning to enjoy Galinda's company. But it had been Galinda's final, off-hand statement that had triggered the reddening of her cheeks.

_'It's a date,' _rung through Elphaba's mind like a thousand warning bells, making her want to march back into the room and call off the whole thing. Yes, it was only a figure of speech, and Elphaba _knew _that. But- and she could barely even bring herself to think it- did she want it to be more than just an expression? Had the blonde girl grown on her more than she dared to admit, even to herself?

Frowning, Elphaba pushed herself from her position and opened the bathroom cabinet to take out her oils for washing. A moment later she had closed it again forcefully, despising herself for even thinking such a thought. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror on the front of the cabinet and quickly looked away, her self-loathing doubling in that second. Mirrors; she just couldn't avoid them. _That, _she thought, glaring at her image- along with a thousand other reasons, of course- was why she couldn't allow herself to think things like that.


	5. Telepathy

As per usual, Monday morning couldn't pass by fast enough for Galinda. But for once, this was not caused by the monotony of classes, but by anticipation of the afternoon ahead. She fidgeted perpetually through History class, every so often shooting little glances towards Elphaba who, in contrast, appeared nothing but absorbed in her notes.

Admiring the green girl's composure, Galinda did her best to imitate her in taking notes; but soon grew bored with the task. It wasn't long before she had given up completely; and thus spent the remainder of the class staring vaguely out of the window, half of her keeping an eye on the weather, the other half daydreaming.

To Galinda's horror, the morning which had begun so beautifully progressed into a thoroughly unpleasant afternoon. The previously bright sun had disappeared behind a dismal collection of dark clouds by midday and a chilly breeze had begun to seep through the window; which Galinda noticed that Elphaba didn't hesitate to close once droplets of rain began to cascade down. The torrents of rain soon grew heaver, almost giving the illusion that the college was being plagued by an incredibly noisy rogue hosepipe.

* * *

"I suppose that puts an end to our little outing," Elphaba said once their classes had finally ended and the two girls had retreated dutifully back to their dorm room.

"Nonsense!" Galinda laughed, rummaging through her wardrobe until she came upon two umbrellas. She tucked one under her arm before tossing the other to Elphaba with a bright smile. "A little rain never hurt anyone!"

Curiously enough, Elphaba seemed to pale at this assertion; though she nodded bravely, catching the umbrella awkwardly as it was thrown to her. "Of course."

When, a little later, the two of them were prepared to leave; the rain has eased off considerably. Chancing a glance at her green accomplice, Galinda noticed that Elphaba seemed extremely relieved about this. But even so, the green girl remained huddled under her borrowed umbrella, cape pulled closely around her as she shrank back from any stray droplets of rain that dared come her way.

As they walked, the rainfall continued to lessen, until it had stopped completely. Pleased, Galinda put her own umbrella down and shook her blonde curls free from the hood she had been wearing to prevent her hair from becoming damp.

"I do wonder about your strong aversion to water," Galinda said conversationally, turning to face her room mate with an expression of mild bewilderment at the sight of her still hunched as though against an imaginary rainfall, "You can put that silly thing down now: it's stopped raining."

Rather than take the blonde's word for it, Elphaba stuck one gloved hand out in front of her experimentally. When it didn't seem to collect any water, she removed her glove and repeated the action.

"Satisfied now?" Galinda asked with a laugh as Elphaba finally ducked out from under the umbrella.

"Very much so," came the derisive response, and Galinda turned to see the green girl holding her still-wet umbrella at arm's length, as warily as one might hold a hand grenade.

"Here, let me," Galinda giggled, relieving Elphaba of the umbrella before turning to the side furthest from her and shaking it off.

Elphaba watched her for a moment, before managing a grunted "Thanks," as her focus moved grimly back to the dark clouds, still looming menacingly above them. Having finished with her makeshift drying of the umbrella, Galinda turned and followed her room mate's gaze.

"Relax, Elphie," she said soothingly, taking a step nearer to the green girl, "It won't rain again."

No sooner had the words left the blonde's mouth than the clouds above them gave way once more, excreting another burst of rain. In Galinda's opinion it was no more than a light drizzle, but Elphaba let out a gasp of panic, grabbing the umbrella which Galinda was still holding and hurriedly shielding herself from the water which seemed to unnerve her so.

Her sharp nails scratched Galinda's hand a little in the process, but the blonde appreciated that this wasn't the time to complain. "Quick Elphie, in here," she said, grabbing Elphaba's hand and pulling her into the closest available building, which conveniently happened to be a tea shop.

* * *

Needing no further persuasion, Elphaba followed; glancing behind as she ducked through the doorway and into safety. The rain was falling thick and fast again, but it was no longer a threat. She was indoors now.

"Remind me never to rely on you for a weather forecast," she said dryly, turning to face Galinda.

The blonde's attention, however, was otherwise occupied. She stood a few steps ahead of Elphaba and was staring around at their new surroundings with an expression of unmixed delight.

"Oh! Isn't it gorgeous?" Galinda said happily, turning to look at Elphaba with excited eyes.

An ominous feeling creeping over her, the green girl took a further step inside, and froze at the sight which met her eyes. Gorgeous would certainly _not _be the word she would use to describe their present location. If Galinda's poofiest pink dress had been a room, it would have been a replica of this café. Almost every single visible surface, from the tablecloths to the wallpaper, was veiled by a thick layer of bright pink frills.

When she had more or less recovered from the horrific impact of so much pink in so little space; Elphaba turned weakly towards Galinda. "It reminds me of you."

It wasn't until she saw Galinda's face glow with pleasure that Elphaba realised what she had said. She also recognized in that moment that her hand was still inside Galinda's, and tugged it free nervously. But even that action couldn't eradicate the double-meaning of what she had said.

Sure enough, "You think _I'm_ gorgeous?" Galinda asked, her head tipping curiously to one side at the unexpected compliment, before she turned to scout the room without waiting for an answer to her obviously rhetorical question.

"No!" Elphaba replied, a little too quickly, before relenting, "I mean, I don't- I- that wasn't what I was trying to-"

But as she turned, Elphaba found that she was stuttering for the benefit of an empty space. She glanced around anxiously, wondering whether Galinda hadn't simply left in outrage; but her heartbeat soon softened to its regular pace as she located Galinda at the other side of the café, having simply left her side to choose them a table.

"Goodness, Elphie, you really stand out in here," Galinda observed cheerfully as Elphaba slid into the seat opposite her.

Elphaba raised her eyebrows. Of course she'd noticed how much of a contrast her own greenness was against the incessant pink, but didn't see why Galinda felt the need to identify this.

"Well, if you _will_ insist on pulling me into a place where you'd have to be a Flamingo to camouflage-" she began heatedly.

"Or a Pig," Galinda added with a shrug, causing Elphaba to snort with laughter and several people to turn indignantly to face their table.

"Pigs aren't true shades of pink, the way flamingos are," Elphaba informed Galinda when she had finished glaring at everyone who had turned to stare at her, "Flamingos, in fact, are only pink because of the effect on their feathers caused by the vast amount of prawns in their diet."

"Is that so?" Galinda asked with a giggle, "Well if that's the case, why are _prawns _pink?"

Elphaba paused, her brow furrowed in thought, before shrugging. "You've got me there."

Galinda laughed, enjoying the sport. "And if I took a swan, for example, and fed it nothing but prawns; would its feathers become pink?"

Elphaba shook her head. "Well, no, because-"

"Tea, _ladies_?" an additional voice interrupted, and Elphaba looked up to see a pink-clad waitress leering down at her. The waitress had somehow enunciated the word 'ladies,' to imply she only considered one of the pair a 'lady.' Elphaba knew she could hazard an accurate guess as to which of them that might be.

The waitress continued to shoot the green girl disgusted glances while Galinda took control, stating that they _did _require tea, and that a small stand of cakes would be equally lovely; giving Elphaba the fleeting impression that she was only welcome here because she was accompanying Galinda.

As the waitress left to retrieve their tea and cakes, the girls' eyes met awkwardly. In the end it was Elphaba who broke eye contact first. Her eyes travelled quickly around the room to see if anybody was still staring; an action which caused her to make a further unpleasant observation.

"Galinda," she hissed, placing her hands on the table and leaning across to whisper to the blonde, "This place is full of _couples_."

Galinda's eyes widened slightly, but one glance around proved to her that Elphaba was right. Every single table, excluding their own, sported only a young man and a young woman.

"Why are none of them even _talking_? Do lovers communicate by some strange telepathy?" she wondered aloud.

"Probably so they can listen to the music," the green girl winced, suddenly hearing for the first time the classical music streaming softly from a gramophone in the corner, "But Galinda, didn't you hear me? Practically everyone else here is holding hands, look."

"Well, we can soon solve that problem," Galinda said brightly, turning to make sure she had an audience, before reaching across the table for Elphaba's hand and taking it in her own rather smaller one.

Alarmed, Elphaba stared down at their joined hands; an odd foreboding building within her. She tried to pull away, but Galinda's grip was too tight. Or perhaps it was her who wasn't pulling hard enough.

Eyes wary, Elphaba moved her gaze up to face Galinda, who was watching her intently although her face had suddenly become the same brilliant shade of pink as the wall behind her. It seemed as though the enormity of what Galinda had done had occurred to them both, and it was a moment before either of them could speak. Finally, Galinda cleared her throat daintily.

"Better?" she asked nervously, no more laughter in her tone, and Elphaba felt her own face flush.

"Better," she found herself confirming, searching Galinda's eyes before fixing her gaze down to their interlocked hands once more. Galinda was right, she thought: green _did _have a strong contrast against pink. Though she had to admit, it was a nice one.

"Are you thinking about how good pink and green look together?" Galinda asked quietly, jolting Elphaba out of her fervid colour analysis.

She stared at the blonde for a moment before nodding dubiously. "Actually, I was. Lucky guess, I presume?"

Grinning, Galinda shook her head, causing Elphaba to raise a sceptic eyebrow.

"Oh? Then what was it?"

"Telepathy," Galinda answered, before bursting into giggles. Several couples turned to stare once more, but this time neither girl noticed.

Solemnly, Elphaba waited for her to recover slightly, before allowing one of her rare genuine smiles to surface. As their eyes met, Galinda's giggled died away until she was simply smiling back. They didn't speak again until the snooty waitress returned with their tea. They didn't need to.

* * *


	6. Upsurge

Galinda couldn't help noticing the speed at which Shenshen and Pfannee abruptly ended their conversation upon noticing her entering their room. Neither could she suppress the fleeting impression that she had previously been the subject of their conversation.

Or perhaps some of Elphaba's paranoia was simply rubbing off on her, due to the vast amount of time she and her room mate had been spending together lately. Since the day in which they had sheltered from the rain in that cosy little teashop, she had found herself spending increasing amounts of time in the green girl's company. In fact, it had been with reluctance today that Galinda had dragged herself out of their room in order to spend some time with her other friends, whilst Elphaba made up for lost time in the library.

But paranoia or not; Galinda couldn't help thinking that her two friends looked decidedly shifty.

"Oh, don't stop talking on my account," she insisted, though she was unable to prevent a hint of accusation from seeping into her tone. She _did_ love being talked about; simply not as part of the type of conversation she believed her two friends had just been engaging in.

Galinda waited impatiently as the two girls exchanged glances, managing to pick up on the not-so-subtle nod Pfannee directed at Shenshen. This was evidently a cue of some sort, as Shenshen immediately followed the red-head's gesture by clearing her throat.

"Galinda, is there anything you'd like to talk to us about? Pfannee and I couldn't help noticing you've been a little… well, _preoccupied _lately," she admitted gently, shimmying up the bed she and Pfannee were sitting on as though to make room for Galinda.

The blonde eyed her assigned space in between the two girls for a second, before being overcome with a sudden, irresistible urge to tell the other two everything she was currently feeling: the situation between her and her room mate in its entirety. Whether it was friendship or something more that she felt for Elphaba, these two deserved to know. They were her _friends, _after all, and friends were supposed to tell each other things like this, weren't they?

"Well, now that you mention it," she began, starting for her place on the bed and preparing to confess all. It would be a relief to finally tell _somebody_, and maybe even receive some advice on the matter in turn. But before Galinda had chance to collect her thoughts, Pfannee had interrupted.

"We were just saying that we suspect romance!" she burst out, before erupting into a fit of giggles. Galinda froze mid-walk, watching Pfannee with wide-eyes as Shenshen shot her giggling room mate a disapproving glance.

"Really, Pfannee!" Shenshen scolded, shaking her head, "_You _were saying you suspect romance. I told you that you have no evidence for such a suspicion." She smiled at Galinda, who returned the smile gladly; grateful that at least _one_ of her friends was attempting to be understanding.

Galinda then turned to look at Pfannee, who had somewhat managed to control her laughter. But there was still a triumphant air to the girl's posture; a smug look which implied she knew something that the other didn't.

"Oh please, Shenshen," Pfannee said, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow dismissively at her friend's last comment, "I have the evidence of my eyes."

She paused, probably for dramatic effect; shooting a smug look at Galinda who looked warily back at her as she wondered where in Oz this was going. The evidence of her eyes, indeed?

"Oh, come _on, _Galinda!" Pfannee said finally, laughing as she stood up and began to count the traits on her fingers as she listed them; "You are pale. You barely _peck_ at your food at dinner. You are distracted-"

"That sounds more like liverishness," a distasteful voice put in, and all three girls turned in surprise towards the door, only to see Elphaba leaning calmly against the door-frame, looking as alien in the room as if she had just dropped from space. Or maybe heaven, Galinda thought, beaming at the sight of her room mate. Yes, it was less than an hour since she had last seen Elphaba, but Galinda couldn't help being glad to see her.

It appeared she was in the minority, however; Shenshen and Pfannee had almost simultaneously risen from the bed, outraged at the sight of the green girl in their room.

"What in Lurline's name are _you _doing here?" Pfannee demanded rudely, while at the same time as Shenshen said accusingly, "I don't believe we gave you permission to be in our room."

Elphaba raised her eyebrows at the predictable reaction to her presence, but didn't shift from her position.

"Believe me; I take no delight whatsoever in being in your room," she said curtly, shooting looks of loathing towards the two girls, "But Madame Morrible's just been knocking on our door in search of Miss Galinda. I'd advise her to go and see what the Headmistress wants, unless she'd prefer to anger her further."

Galinda gasped, her initial delight at the green girl's presence vanishing as she brought her hand to her mouth. "She sounded mad?" she asked fearfully, before hastily moving to check her reflection. She wanted to ensure she was neat and tidy before she went to meet Madame Morrible, particularly if the Headmistress was already displeased.

Elphaba nodded. "Very much so," she said, turning to leave and holding the door open behind her for Galinda, who rushed obediently to her side.

"We'll continue our conversation later, girls," she said anxiously over her shoulder, "I do apologise for leaving like this, but it all sounds rather urgent."

"It's fine, Galinda!" Shenshen assured her immediately, while Pfannee added, "Good luck with Morrible."

The two girls looked almost scared for her, and Galinda couldn't help feeling touched by the gesture. She quickly ran to hug her friends before pulling open the door which it seemed Elphaba had given up on holding; and rushing out into the hallway with a final wave to Shenshen and Pfannee.

Once out of the room, Galinda's eyes searched the hallway with a frown. It was a moment before she spotted Elphaba already at the other end of the hallway, almost having reached the stairs.

"Elphie, wait for me, dearest!" she called, picking up her skirts and chasing after her room mate. Elphaba stopped walking at the sound of her voice, but didn't turn around. Her head was bowed, and she was quick to resume her pace once she sensed Galinda a few feet behind her.

"Elphie?" Galinda repeated, trotting anxiously at the green girl's side; almost having to run to keep up, "Did Madame Morrible say why she needed me? Did I do something wrong?"

Elphaba didn't answer except to increase her strides, her long legs enabling her to pull further ahead of Galinda. Her head was still lowered, causing her hair- which she had recently, on Galinda's orders, taken to wearing loose- to fall across her face. This, in turn, made it near to impossible for Galinda to analyse the other girl's expression.

Rather than resorting to running in order to keep up with Elphaba's new pace and risk an injury, Galinda stopped walking altogether, her arms folding stubbornly across her chest. Why wasn't Elphaba _talking _to her? Didn't she realise that Galinda _needed _to know what was going on?

"Miss Elphaba, would you _stop _walking so fast, and _please_ tell me what's going on!" she demanded of the other girl's retreating back, her tone a mix of hurt and frustration. Finally, the green girl came to a halt and turned slowly around, finally making it possible for Galinda to view her face. But what the blonde saw didn't comfort her in the slightest; Elphaba was chewing her lip, her eyes shifting from side to side as though she was fighting with herself over something.

"Elphie?" Galinda asked softly, not used to seeing her room mate display her emotions this openly. This in mind, the blonde abandoned her stubbornness and walked to the other girl's side, slipping a comforting hand around her waist. "Are you okay, dear? I'm sorry I yelled. I know it's urgent for us to get to Madame Morrible, but there wasn't any need to-"

"It isn't urgent," Elphaba interrupted, her voice quiet and blank. It took a moment for Galinda to register what she had said.

"I- what? But you said…" she began, confused; but Elphaba was already shaking her head and wriggling her waist out of Galinda's grip.

"Madame Morrible doesn't need to see you," she said in a low voice, turning her face away from Galinda once more, "I was in the library- I lied about her coming to our room."

Galinda's eyes widened in astonishment. "But… But _why?" _she spluttered, even less at ease with the situation than she had been before. She didn't understand what was going on here at all. Why in Oz would Elphaba have lied to her about Madame Morrible wanting to see her?

"_Because,_" Elphaba answered, whirling round to face Galinda, her eyes flashing dangerously, "Because you needed to get away from those _people. _They're poisoning your mind, Galinda, can't you see that?"

Galinda watched her in shock for a moment before scoffing loudly, "Oh _please_, Miss Elphaba. _Poisoning my mind? _What absolute nonsense. I never had you down for exaggerating like that."

"It isn't an exaggeration! They're _snakes_, both of them! They way they sometimes talk about you, not knowing I care enough to listen-" Elphaba looked furious now, her eyes wild as she flung her arms in the air in frustration. Galinda had to admit, the effect was a little frightening, but she couldn't give in. _She _was mad too.

"Those _snakes_, as you call them, are my _friends_," she insisted, placing her hands on her hips as she glared back at Elphaba. After a moment, though, she couldn't take it any more. Turning her back to walk away, Galinda added snippily over her shoulder: "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to turn me against them!"

"Some friends _they _are," she heard Elphaba scoff as she walked away, but Galinda couldn't listen to her. She had thought her and her room mate had really bonded over the past few days, but now it felt as though they were back to square one. If Elphaba couldn't understand why her friends were the way they were, how could she possibly begin to understand _her_? Galinda kept walking without looking back, annoyance spreading through her. At that moment, she just wanted to get as far away from that wretched green girl as possible.

* * *

Elphaba watched Galinda's blonde head bob into the distance. Her eyes were still glaring after her room mate in rage, but she was slowly beginning to calm down; the anger which had consumed her turning into a great confusion over her own motives.

She herself didn't know why she'd lied to Galinda like that. Casting her mind back, all Elphaba could remember was sitting in the library studying, when she had felt a deep wave of loneliness overcome her. She remembered thinking how strange it was that she was suddenly longing for company when she had lived her entire life in solitude.

But even more curious was the fact that she hadn't just wanted _anyone's _company. She had wanted Galinda. So, as was her habit of acting first and thinking later, Elphaba had closed her books and set out to find the pretty blonde. And now she had ruined the first thing she had ever experienced which came close to friendship. Or, even… Well, what did it matter? It was ruined now, regardless.

Frowning in complete self-loathing, Elphaba took a deep breath and began to walk quickly in the same direction Galinda had set off in. She had little choice, the alternative being to head back to Pfannee and Shenshen's room, where she clearly wasn't welcome.

She only hoped she had given the other girl a reasonable head-start. She wanted to avoid another confrontation at all costs; how could she begin to explain to Galinda that she had done what she had done because she had missed her, when it had been less than an hour since they had seen each other? And why _had _she missed her anyway? Did she really care about her _that much_?

Impossible, Elphaba told herself defiantly. She'd never needed someone that much in her life, she couldn't _let _herself need anyone like that.

Taking a deep breath, Elphaba tried to slow her surging paces forward. She couldn't let herself catch up with Galinda and have to reface the burning gaze with which the blonde had glared at her moments before. The burning gaze which made her weak at the knees and suddenly willing to sacrifice everything for her perky room mate…


	7. Making Up

**I'm so sorry about the wait! I've had the worst case of writer's block EVER lately. BUT, I now have a beta. So, extra special thanks to the amazing 0Verdigris0 for checking this chapter through for me, and telling me where the apostrophe should go in "writer's block" :D. (Psst. Read her story 'Don't Leave Me.' It's much better than anything I've written!)**

* * *

More hours later than she had cared to count, Galinda tentatively pushed open the door to her dorm and padded softly inside; her hands gently grazing the walls as she used them as a guide across the room. The blonde was fully aware of the danger of leaving the lights off for a second time, but tonight she certainly did _not _want to awaken her room mate by switching the light on. Thankfully, Galinda managed to reach the bathroom without encountering any obstacles and, after changing into her nightdress, she reached her bed with equal ease.

Usually, Galinda slept on her side, legs curled up to her chest so that she lay in a neat ball. Tonight, however, she pulled her blanket firmly over her head, dragging one of her pillows under with her so that she could clutch it protectively and do her best not to shoot glances at her sleeping room mate every few seconds.

It didn't work. Try as she might, Galinda just couldn't find a position comfortable enough to fall asleep in. She tried lying flat on her back, before shifting onto her side with the pillow clutched to her chest. When neither of those worked, she tried her usual trick of curling into a ball, but even _that _failed. And she was _so _tired. Growing irritated, Galinda punched her pillow to relieve some of her frustration towards the current unfairness of life in general.

* * *

Awoken by the sound of her room mate thrashing about in her efforts to get comfortable, Elphaba opened her eyes in search of the source of the disturbance.

"Galinda?"

The writhing stopped abruptly, but there was no response. Elphaba turned onto her side so that she was facing Galinda's bed, and tried to make out her expression in the dark. But it was no use; the blonde was buried so far under her covers that her face was hidden, and the darkness was so consuming that it was difficult to make out a single thing anyway.

"Galinda, are you all right?" she whispered; her second try for an answer. For a moment there was still no response, then:

"I'm fine," came a barely distinguishable voice. It sounded muffled; choked somehow, and Elphaba wondered whether Galinda was crying. She sat up slightly, peering at the lump in the middle of the pink blanket.

"No you're not. What's wrong, Galinda?"

There was a further pause, which Elphaba used to get into a more comfortable position. As she was shifting around, the green girl heard a mumbled response from the bed next to her.

"Sorry?"

"I said," sounded Galinda's voice slightly louder, "_As though you care._"

Elphaba frowned, refraining from uttering a biting remark about the immaturity of Galinda's comment only because she knew the blonde was somewhat justified in saying it.

"Galinda, I… I didn't mean the things I said earlier. You know that, don't you?"

Again, there was an infuriatingly long pause, during which Elphaba began to wonder whether the fluffy barrier of Galinda's bed covers was causing her voice to take an unusually long time to reach the blonde's ears. That was the only reason she could think of for the continually delayed responses.

Finally, "I know," came the barely audible whisper.

"Then what are you so upset about?"

"Nothing."

Elphaba sighed, her bed creaking loudly as she climbed carefully out of it. The sudden cold that was present outside her blankets hit her sharply- the dormitories at Shiz had never been particularly warm at night- and Elphaba felt herself give an involuntary shiver. Still, she made the swift journey across the room and plunked herself on Galinda's bed next to the blanketed bulk which was her room mate.

Obviously taken by surprise by the sudden weight on her bed, Galinda emerged, looking more dishevelled than Elphaba had ever seen her. "Elphie- Miss Elphaba, rather, what are you doing?"

"So we're back to Miss Elphaba?" Elphaba's eyes swivelled across the room as she fought to suppress the surge of disappointment which had just hit her. "I must have really upset you earlier," she added quietly.

Galinda neither confirmed nor denied this, but her expression as she stared fixatedly at her pillow said it all; so Elphaba soldiered on. "I- I'm not used to having ties to people, Galinda. I've always been free to act without thinking about the consequences, because I've had nothing to lose in that respect." She glanced at Galinda, who was still gazing at her pillow, though her expression looked a little softer now. "Or rather nobody to lose," she was unable to stop herself from adding quietly.

Neither girl spoke for a moment or two. Then Elphaba, suddenly feeling awkward at the closeness of the situation, rose sharply from the bed. She intended to head back to her own bed and pretend their conversation- or lack of it on Galinda's part- had never happened. But before she had taken so much as a step, Elphaba felt a hand on her wrist. The grip was not strong, but it was enough to send an irrepressible wave of resistance through her body to her feet, and make the green girl pause in her tracks. Elphaba stared at the hand on her wrist for a second, before turning slowly to meet Galinda's eyes. She found them staring fiercely back at her, blue as ice but blazing as fire. No words were spoken but, just as had been the case in the teashop, no words were needed. Galinda's meaning was clear without her making a sound: 'don't you even think about going back to bed.'

A slightly wicked smile playing at the corners of her mouth, Elphaba eased herself back onto the foot of Galinda's bed, her eyes not leaving the other girl's. Still, neither girl spoke. To Elphaba it felt as though it was beyond words; above it, even. Then the moment died as both girls attempted to speak at once.

"I'm sorry about-"

"I never meant-"

Galinda let out a tense giggle, before shaking her head. "There's no need to apologise. Lo- _friends_ have tiffs like those all the time."

Elphaba gave a half-shrug, her eyes scrutinizing the room again as though there might be an eavesdropper hidden beneath one of their matching desks. "I wouldn't know, would I?"

Galinda's eyes moved to her right hand which was still grasping Elphaba's wrist, and her expression turned to one of concern. "Elphie!"

Struck by the urgency in her tone, Elphaba looked back at Galinda inquiringly. "What's wrong?"

"Your arm feels like a block of ice," she answered incredulously, beginning to rub her hand up and down Elphaba's arm, for which her nightdress provided only a very thin cover. "You must be freezing."

Elphaba smiled slightly, feeling goosebumps sprouting which had nothing to do with the temperature. In actual fact she'd stopped noticing the cold until Galinda had commented on it. "I suppose it's a little cold," she shrugged, though ruining the nonchalant effect she had been aiming for by giving another shiver. Tiny as the movement was, it didn't go unnoticed by Galinda, who narrowed her eyes before releasing Elphaba's arm and shuffling herself to the far side of her bed. Elphaba watched her, bemused until Galinda pulled back one corner of her covers invitingly. Suddenly realising what the blonde was implying, Elphaba's eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. "No."

"Oh, but Elphie!" There was that pout again. The one that always made Elphaba feel ready to move the world for. She turned her face away deliberately and shook her head. "I said _no_, Galinda," she repeated.

Galinda didn't make any further vocal protest, but Elphaba could sense that pout behind her, practically burning into the back of her head. "Galinda, stop it!" She wouldn't look at the pout. She _wouldn't_. "Look, it makes no sense. I'll be just as warm in my own bed, which is only about four feet away from us."

"But I wanted us to talk some more," Galinda insisted, "And talking across the room doesn't have nearly the same effect as when you're here with me."

Elphaba finally succumbed to her urge to face Galinda, who promptly began to flutter her long eyelashes persuasively. "_Please_?"

Elphaba sighed, knowing full well that her battle was lost. How could she possibly compete with that look? "Oz, I don't know how anybody ever says no to you," she muttered, reluctantly slipping her legs under the blanket.

Galinda beamed triumphantly. "They don't."

Elphaba returned the smile weakly, shuffling around as she tried in vain to find a position that made her feel as though she was back in her own bed, and _not_ sharing a bed with her achingly beautiful room mate.

Galinda pulled a face as the mattress springs creaked beneath them. "Sweet Oz, Elphie, stay _still_, won't you?" On the word 'still,' she pounced, grabbing Elphaba's wrists and forcing the green girl onto her side so that they were facing one another. Elphaba blinked cautiously; no matter where she looked, all she seemed to see were piercing blue eyes staring back at her. "Galinda…"

Galinda looked at her for a moment, before nodding and letting go of Elphaba's hands. But far from releasing her, Elphaba felt the blonde's arms immediately weave around her, coming to rest ominously on her hips. Elphaba gulped slightly, part of her longing to pull away. But another part- a much stronger part- told her to relax; to become comfortable in her position.

A few seconds passed, before Elphaba's dark eyes moved questioningly to Galinda's face.

But there were no answers to be found there. The blonde's eyes had fluttered closed, and her breathing had deepened. Oz, Elphaba could _feel _her breathing.

"I thought you wanted to talk to me, not fall asleep on me," she mumbled, but her eyelids too were beginning to droop. _No, _she told herself fiercely, _you can't fall asleep. Not in Galinda's bed you can't. _But the more her mind tried to argue, the more her body protested tenaciously. Galinda's bed was so much warmer and cosier than her own; or perhaps there was just something oddly comforting about the way her arms had become gently entwined around Galinda's waist. Now, when had _that _happened? Elphaba tried to dwell on the matter, but she was rapidly losing control of her mind as sleep threatened to consume her. _I'll just rest my eyes for a second or two _she thought blearily, before allowing her flickering eyelids to close completely.

A moment later, she too was asleep, her relaxed arms still around Galinda's body as though protecting her from the world's unknown horrors. And for once, Elphaba dreamed peacefully that night. It was almost as though Galinda was a fluffy, blonde dream-catcher, intercepting the green girl's usual nightmares before they could seep into the pink quilted bed they shared.

* * *


	8. Words of Wisdom

**Sorry again for the delay! I promise I'll try and make these faster in future :). Oh, and thankyou again to my beta, 0Verdigris0 (read her fics if you haven't already!) for telling me to make Doctor Dillamond more Goat-like xD.**

The sun was not long risen when Elphaba awoke, and yet she could sense instantly that something was not right. Perhaps it was because the pillow beneath her head felt much fluffier than what she was used to, and the blanket distinctly softer. Or maybe it was the sensation of something feathery and soft tickling her cheek. Or, failing both of those, perhaps her predicament felt so strange for the reason that her body was completely tangled around that of another. A wave of panic beginning somewhere in her stomach and rising upwards, Elphaba turned as inconspicuously as she could to survey her bed mate.

Galinda's head was rested peacefully on the pillow beside her, her eyes closed as snugly as those of a doll. In fact, she looked distinctly like a doll in more ways than one; her cheeks rosy in her early sunlight and her blonde curls fanned out around her on the pillow as perfectly as if somebody had arranged them that way. Definitely a doll, Elphaba thought with a wry smile as her eyes remained on her room mate: one of those beautiful porcelain dolls with soft features and ringlet curls that young girls received on their birthday but were never allowed to play with. Instead they were sealed in a glass case and placed on a high shelf out of harm's way.

Elphaba had never owned one of those dolls as a child, but she knew that if she had done, she would have been too afraid of spoiling its perfect newness to have laid a finger on it. She felt the same way about Galinda now. Much as she longed to stroke her hand over those blonde curls, place her lips onto a pink cheek to awaken the blonde beauty, Elphaba knew it was fatal. Just as fatal as being in bed beside Galinda in the first place.

Elphaba unravelled herself from the blonde slowly and carefully, doing her very best not to wake Galinda in the process. At one point Galinda made a small movement, and Elphaba froze anxiously. However, the blonde did nothing more than to let out a contented sigh and turn onto her back, thus granting Elphaba her desired freedom.

Strongly relieved, Elphaba slipped out of the bright pink bed and dressed silently in the semi-darkness of the early morning. She hadn't the slightest idea where she intended to go- all she knew was that she needed to be free of that room for a while. She couldn't just let herself act on instinct as she had the night before- she needed to think things over properly, and that was impossible if she remained in the same room as the sleeping beauty she had just disentangled herself from. Rational thinking was always that much harder for Elphaba when Galinda was in the vicinity.

She slipped cat-like from the room and down the nearest staircase, hoping she wouldn't be spotted. It was still extremely early- Elphaba would have chanced a guess at around five 'o'clock, though she didn't care enough to confirm this- and she was perfectly aware that her wandering about at this time might appear suspicious.

It took a while for the green girl to realise that her walking was not in fact aimless, but had some direction to it. She was heading for the room in which her first class of the day- History- was to take place. Ridiculous really; as the class itself wasn't due to start for another three hours. But with no better ideas in mind, Elphaba continued to walk in the same direction, hoping her reasons for going there would become clearer in due course.

As she neared her destination, Elphaba slowed down and approached the door cautiously. What did she expect to do now; simply walk inside and sit in her assigned seat for three hours until her classmates arrived? She didn't even have her books with her. But since this option seemed a slightly better one than hovering in the hallway, Elphaba placed her hand on the door handle, turned it as quietly as she could; and then pushed. The door didn't budge. It was locked. Of course.

Groaning softly, Elphaba allowed her forehead to drop forward so that it was resting on the door in front of her. Part of her wished she _had_ brought her books with her, so that she could take advantage of the good, solid facts they contained in order to distract her from the abstract, buzzing thoughts which were now filling her head. Thoughts about what had happened the night before; what should have happened; and what could or would happen now that she was thinking straight once more.

"Miss Elphaba?"

She jumped horribly as the soft voice penetrated the silence, before composing herself and moving back into an upright position, embarrassed at the vulnerable pose in which the speaker had found her. When the rogue colour had shifted from her cheeks, she turned to see who else was roaming the corridors at five 'o' clock in the morning, and consequently found herself face-to-face with a very surprised-looking Goat.

"Doctor Dillamond?" she replied blankly, just as surprised to see her professor as he seemed to be to see her.

"You're a little early for class, Miss Elphaba?" the Goat said, using his hoof to unhook a ring of keys from his waistcoat and working his way through them until he found the correct one to open the door. His words were a question- he was enquiring as to what she was doing here so early- and Elphaba knew she had no answers to give.

In a strange way, the doctor seemed to understand her silence. He directed a gentle nod towards her, before locating the right key, slotting it into the lock and pushing the door open. Quite how he could handle a key that way with hooves was beyond Elphaba, but she supposed he had had a lot of years to get used to them.

"I was looking to do a little pre-breakfast research," he explained, indicating for Elphaba to go into the room ahead of him, "You wouldn't care to join me?"

"I-" Elphaba began, before glancing into his gentle face and nodding. "I'd like that."

"As would I." Doctor Dillamond waited for her to step into the room, before following behind her. When inside, he moved straight to his desk, taking a series of books from a shelf and opening them on select, pre-marked pages. As he began to read, one hoof lightly pawed the floor in an agitated manner. Timidly, Elphaba moved to the Goat's side and examined the material over his shoulder.

"You're researching the origins of the rumours you were telling me about?" she asked finally, "The ones involving the poor Animals in Munchkin Rock and in Quox?"

Doctor Dillamond nodded, pushing up his spectacles so that they sat higher on his muzzle before squinting back down at the papers in front of him. "Animals were most highly regarded at one time, Miss Elphaba," he proclaimed sadly, pushing a page listing great historical Ozian names towards her with one front hoof, "See these names? These were all Animals of some sort. All looked upon most highly in their time, and now- all forgotten. Things change, Miss Elphaba. People change. So do their views and feelings."

"I'll say," Elphaba muttered, in what she assumed was too quiet a tone for the professor to hear. But it seemed the Goat had sharper hearing than she'd imagined, as he turned questioningly towards her as the words left her lips.

"Something on your mind, Miss Elphaba?" he asked gently, the professionalism he had used in association with his research vanishing as he looked to his favourite student with concern.

"You could say that," Elphaba replied softly, turning her face away from the professor to prevent him from finding any clues in it.

But Doctor Dillamond seemed to understand that too. Removing his glasses, he stroked his beard thoughtfully as he regarded Elphaba. "Relationship troubles?" he asked finally, raising his bushy Goat's eyebrows, before gently adding, "Or lack thereof perhaps?"

"Well, yes- I mean, no!" Elphaba said quickly, horrified by the confession she had almost made. "Only, yes," she added after a beat, cheeks burning furiously as she kept her gaze firmly on the floor. She couldn't believe she was really admitting that much- to a teacher no less- but then again, Doctor Dillamond was no normal teacher in her eyes.

"Well men can be tricky beings to deal with," Doctor Dillamond replied with a low chuckle, drumming his front hooves on the desk as though to emphasise his point, "Particularly at your age, Miss Elphaba. They think they know exactly what they want, but really they haven't the slightest idea. We could learn a lot from you women. Women at least know how to follow their hearts without looking back."

Elphaba chanced a glance at her professor before shaking her head slightly. She had been wrong; he didn't really understand at all. "Right. Well. Thank you for the advice," she said quickly, inching around the desk and towards the door, "I- I'm sorry, but I've just remembered something I need to do."

"Then you should go ahead and do it," Doctor Dillamond replied, nodding in agreement, and trotting over to the door to hold it open for her, "Remember; I'm always here if you need help with anything. The only people who know how men's minds work are other men."

But what if there's no man in the equation? Elphaba thought, nodding her thanks to her professor as she made a hasty departure. Would she still be encouraged to follow her heart then? And did she really care whether she had any encouragement or not? She'd always acted alone in the past; why now should she begin to follow the advice of others?

There were no many questions, and so few answers that Elphaba was half-tempted to run back to the classroom and give Doctor Dillamond some more information so that he could make a better judgement. She'd never been given any advice before, and now that she'd experienced it, it seemed addicting.

But would Galinda take kindly to that kind of information being passed on to a teacher? And did Elphaba herself really trust Doctor Dillamond to keep it secret? And most importantly: in her heart of hearts, Elphaba already knew the answer before anybody told it to her. She had to go back to her sleeping beauty- who would surely be awakening soon- and let her know that falling asleep in each others' arms the previous night had been no accident on her part. That slipping out of the room in the early hours had been no desertion. And between them, she and Galinda had to decide their logical next step. Elphaba could see that something new was definitely growing here; and instead of stamping it out like a weed, she wanted to embrace it for once in her life.


End file.
